Anarchy in the Clemente at book fair and film fest

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Some of the many booksellers at last weekend’s Anarchist Book Fair. Photos by Jefferson Siegel

The Seventh Annual Anarchist Book Fair was held this past weekend at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center on the Lower East Side.

Dozens of tables with books, posters and T-shirts filled the Suffolk St. center’s main floor. There were several workshops focusing on such diverse topics as “Pirate Party — Why the Hell Would Anarchists Run for Office?” “Occupy and Anarchy,” “The Climate Will Not Be Dumpsterd,” and “Flatbush Rebellion and the Murder of Kimani Gray.”

Greg Kelly of the North American Animal Liberation press office came “armed” and ready.

Saturday evening featured the Anarchist Film Festival, organized by Priya Warcry. The five-hour showcase of films was intended to foster a dialogue about resistance.

A highlight of the book fair was the Anarchist Interview Project, an effort to record, gather and share the stories of people’s experiences with anarchism.

“We are interested in getting a snapshot of the beating heart of anarchism through its many voices,” explained co-organizer Damian Treffs.

People wrote their experiences with anarchism on paper taped up on the walls, part of the Anarchist Interview Project.

The collective behind the project, Practical Anarchy, invited people into a curtained-off area to be interviewed and have their thoughts recorded for an anticipated ’zine and, eventually, a Web site of the recordings.

For more information on the project, visit http://practicalanarchynyc.wordpress.com .